Entrepreneurs’ Society Jamboree Highlights Local Startups

By: Nada Mostafa
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As part of its biannual Jamboree Event, the Entrepreneurs’ Society (ES) hosted more than 65 startups in the AUC library gardens to showcase a wide range of products and innovative ideas on April 15.

“Jamboree is a one-day exhibition where startups are invited to showcase and sell their products and services,” said Jenny El Boushy, the President of ES and a Business Finance Senior.

“We give them wider exposure to the AUC community and at the same time [we expose] students to emerging startups and small businesses by Egyptian entrepreneurs.”

Among the startups at  the event were Jewel Hub, which specializes in jewelry and watches, Black Lotus, which sells essential oils that help with aromatherapy, Bubblzz Bath & Body Co., which make bath and beauty products, and Palma, a clothing brand.

“We choose the startups based on their eligibility, how relevant they are to students and if their target market are students,” said El Boushy.

ES’s vision is to promote entrepreneurship in Egypt and encourage youth to start their own businesses.

She also added that the Jamboree directly benefits members of ES by involving them in all its aspects: members are in charge of looking up the startups, contacting them and marketing and operating the event.

“They are involved in every single step of the way,” said El Boushy.

AUC alumnus Omar Abdel Nasser attended the event for the fifth time to showcase his silver jewelry designs from his startup Taba Designs.

“Our specialty is customizing whatever design you want into a silver design and delivering it to your doorstep without any deposit,” he told The Caravan.

Abdel Nasser founded Taba Designs in 2015, when he was still a Construction Engineering student.

“I needed to make something that was my own, so I [started] this business from scratch. I started with about EGP 100,” he said.

For entrepreneurs Karima Youssef and her daughter Mayada Yousry the Jamboree was the second time they showcase their products to the AUC community.

Their flagship product is Reve, a natural beauty product brand, which includes hair masks, deodorants, facial creams, lip balms and scrubs.

“We are most known for not using preservatives or any chemicals,” explained founders .

Yousef and Yousry founded Reve two years ago in Alexandria.

They agreed with Abdel Nasser that the event has helped their startups get greater exposure.

“On my way back [to Alexandria last year] people called me after the event. They were placing orders and asking us to deliver to Cairo,” said Youssef.

El Boushy says that the Jamboree helps students realize their initiatives are viable, especially that a lot of [the entrepreneurs] are young.

“A lot of them are AUC [alumni]. It shows them that they could easily be like them, and even better,” said El Boushy.